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Amir is Born, His Mother, Sofia Akrami, Dies
Amir is explaining that "[i]t was there, in that little shack that Hassan is born in the winter of 1964, just one year after [his] mother died giving birth to [him]" (Hosseini 6). This quote describes how Amir was born, and reveals why his mother is not present. This, being that Amir grew up without a mom could impact characterization for Amir, possibly causing to not be as 'manly' like how Baba says. -
Hassan Gets Raped by Assef
When Amir is in the alleyway watching Hassan get raped by Assef, he admits that "[he] opened [his] mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of [his] life might have turned out differently if [he] had. But [he] didn't. [He] just watched. Paralyzed (Hosseini 73). This quote shows characterization in Amir. The author explains the horrific situation of Hassan getting raped, and Amir, who has the option to speak up to Assef, does nothing. -
Amir Wins the Kite Contest
At the Kite Running Contest, Amir finishes the race first and says "[t]hen I was screaming, and everything was color and sound, everything was alive and good. I was throwing my free arm around Hassan and we were hopping up and down, both of us laughing, both of us weeping. "You won, Amir agha! You won"" (Hosseini 66). This is an important event in the novel and high peak in Amir and Hassan's relationship, because of how they are bonding over Amir's accomplishment. Hassan was crying for Amir. -
Hassan and Ali Leave Baba
After Amir's 13th birthday party, when Amir had framed Hassan of stealing gifts, Hassan and Ali decide to leave. Amir says "[he] watched Baba's car pull away from the curb, taking with it the person whose first spoken word had been [Amir's] name" (Hosseini 109). In this quote Amir is reflecting about how the person who had respected him the most is now leaving, because of an action Amir had made. Amir and Hassan's friendship had been so strong until the event of when he got raped by Assef. -
Soviet Union Invaded Afghanistan
When the Soviet Union took over Afghanistan, it was explained in the newspaper that "[t]he Kabul Government generally kept a firm grip on the cities, but throughout the war was unable to rout the rebels in the countryside, where the conservative populace was antagonized at the outset by changes in social and land policies that offended Muslim tradition" (New York Times). -
Russians Invade. Baba and Amir Leave Afghanistan and Go to Pakistan.
While Baba and Amir were in the truck on their way to Pakistan, Amir explains "[t]here were others [in the truck], in all about a dozen, including Baba and [him], sitting with out suitcases between [their] legs, cramped with th[o]se strangers in the tarpaulin-covered cab of an old Russian truck (Hosseini 110). Here, a lot of people took the opportunity to leave Afghanistan, heading towards a hopefully safer life. Due to it being so spur-of-the-moment, no one brought any belongings with them. -
Amir and Baba Come to San Francisco
Amir and Baba came to San Francisco to start a new life. After a little while of them living in the U.S. Amir explains, "[m]y father is still adjusting to life in America" (Hosseini 128). This shows that America has brought a new life to Baba and Amir, and the way Americans live are different from how Baba and Amir were used to. Amir seemed to be adapting to their new life more than Baba was. -
Amir Graduates from High School
An accomplishment Amir has made since living in America was "[t]hat [in the] summer of 1983, [Amir] graduated high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day" (Hosseini 131). This achievement Amir made shows how productive he has been since starting his new life in Foster City, and how he has put effort into accomplishing something big. With this degree offers more experiences Amir can take in the future. -
Amir Meets Soraya
When Amir and Baba are out one day looking at garage sale, Amir meets a beautiful young girl, Soraya. Amir describes how "[s]he had thick black eyebrows that touched in the middle like arched wings of a flying bird, and the gracefully hooked nose of a princess... "(Hosseini 140). His detailed description of Sorya shows how infatuated Amir was with her, capturing all of her glory, it shows the love he had for her. From this moment, Amir made it a mission to get to know Soraya. -
Amir and Soraya Get Married
After Amir and Soraya have been together for a while, they finally decide to get married. Amir says "[he] remember[s] walking toward the stage, now in [his] tuxedo, Soraya a veiled pari in white, [their] hands locked. Baba hobbled next to [Amir], the general and his wife beside their daughter" (Hosseini 170). When Amir and Soraya got married, Amir remembers the whole event, especially how beautiful Soraya looked. He was happy to finally be with her, as a married couple. -
Russia Leaves Afghanistan, Leaving It In Poor Condition
After the Soviet Union had taken over Afghanistan, "[t]hey left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe who had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda" (New York Times). -
Rahim Khan Goes to Find Hassan
Rahim Khan is explaining the day when he decided to find Hassan, now since Baba is sick. Rahim Khan says, "[s]o one day, I fueled up the Buik and drove up to Hazarajat. I remembered that, after Ali dismissed himself from the house, your father told me he and Hassan had moved to a small village just outside Bamiyan (Hosseini 204). This characterization of Rahim Khan shows how important he believes family is. Due to this, he went out of his way to bring them together. -
Amir Goes On Book Tour
When Amir is in America, he became a published author, he describes, "[a] month [after he got published], Martin called and informed [Amir he] was going to be a published novelist. When [he] told Soraya, she screamed" (Hosseini 183). This other accomplishment Amir made showed how well he is doing, and how beneficial both living in America and being married to Soraya had been for him. Without those things, Amir would still be in Afghanistan, and probably not as successful as he is now. -
Hassan's Mother Returns
One night, Hassan's mother, Sanaubar returns, and helps with taking care of Sohrab. Hosseini says "... in the middle of the summer, a woman covered in a sky blue burqa knocked on the front gates one morning" (Hosseini 209). With the return of Sanaubar, it shows how guilty she felt bad for not being apart of her child's life. Also, this gives an opportunity to make amends and reconnect. -
Afghanistan's Power Divided
Once the Soviet Union returned the power they took, "Afghanistan descended into vicious internecine strife; by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (New York Times). -
Mullah Omar (Pashtun) Forms Group with followers
Mullah Omar stated building up followers, and "[b]y the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east. With his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" (New York Times). -
Sanaubar Dies
After just a few years after Sanaubar had returned "[s]he lived only to see [Sohrab] turn four, and then, one morning, she just did not wake up" (Hosseini 211). With the natural cause of dying from age, at least Sanaubar reconnected with her family before her passing. Moreover, she got to witness the life of her grandson. -
Taliban Took Control of Afghanistan
When the Taliban had taken control in 1996, they begun "imposing strict - enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (New York Times). -
Amir Gets Phone Call From Rahim Khan Asking Him to Come to Pakistan'
Rahim Khan's last dying wish was for Amir to go get Hassan's kid, Sohrab, and bring him back to America. Amir was shocked at first from the request, but then realized ""[w]hen [he] was a kid, [Hassan] was the first grown-up [Amir] ever thought of as a friend"" (Hosseini 191). This connection Amir made of how important Hassan was to Amir made Amir get Sohrab. In the end, if roles were reversed, Hassan would have probably done the same to Amir. -
Amir Returns Home With Sohrab
After a long while in Afghanistan, Amir finally returns home in America with Sohrab. Amir and Sohrab "arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001" (Hosseini 357). Amir had not planned to be gone for so long, but due to unexpected events that occurred, it caused delay in the time frame he imagined. Once they came home, Amir and Soraya treated Sohrab like one of their own. -
World Trade Center Attacks led by Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda led the attack on the World Trade Center, known as 9/11. The Islamic group was able to hijack the airlines because "American military efforts [were] focused on Iraq, [so] the Taliban made a steady comeback, fueled by profits from the opium trade, dissatisfaction with the weak and often corrupt Afghan government, and safe havens in Pakistan" (New York Times). -
Hamid Karzai Becomes New Chairman and Leader of Afghanistan, Replacing Taliban
Karzai took office as interim president in June 2002, saying he "hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid. Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (New York Times). -
Taliban Returns, Targeting From Border
The Taliban continued to "[w]age a guerrilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Taliban also spilled over into Pakistan, raising concerns about its stability, and making Afghanistan once more a top foreign policy priority for the Western Allies" (New York Times). -
Obama Announces His Plan For America With It's Involvement With Afghanistan
In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, at West Point, Mr. Obama announced his plan to "[d]eploy 30,000 additional troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011, saying the United States could not afford and should not have to shoulder an open-ended commitment"(New York Times). -
Obama Removes General McChrystal
Obama removes General McChrystal, "an expert in counterinsurgency warfare who for years has viewed the violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a particularly thorny problem" (New York Times).